Review: DANGEROUS GIRLS by Abigail Haas

Title: DANGEROUS GIRLS
Author: Abigail Haas (aka, Abby McDonald)
Published: July 16th, 2013
Genre: YA thriller / mystery
Pages: 388
POV: 1st person present
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Format: Kindle eBook
Source: Purchased
Rating: The Royal Library, Top Shelf

Paradise quickly gets gruesome in this thrilling page-turner with a plot that’s ripped from the headlines and a twist that defies the imagination.

It’s Spring Break of senior year. Anna, her boyfriend Tate, her best friend Elise, and a few other close friends are off to a debaucherous trip to Aruba that promises to be the time of their lives.

But when Elise is found brutally murdered, Anna finds herself trapped in a country not her own, fighting against vile and contemptuous accusations. As Anna sets out to find her friend’s killer, she discovers harsh revelations about her friendships, the slippery nature of truth, and the ache of young love.

Awaiting the judge’s decree, it becomes clear to Anna that everyone around her thinks she is not only guilty, but also dangerous. And when the whole story comes out, reality is more shocking than anyone ever imagined...

You know how people slow down when driving past an accident, because they are so incapable of not taking a quick glance at the wreckage before them? Reading Dangerous Girls left me with that vibe, where everything is slowly unraveling into chaos, you don't know why you can't look away, you just know you have to see it unfold. Every moment flipping through Dangerous Girls is a thoroughly intriguing one, and the reveal in the end is undeniably a shocker.

Anyone who has ever been in a poisonous friendship will read Dangerous Girls and wait uncomfortably as the story unfolds. On the surface, Anna and Elise are great for each other. They have fun, understand one another, and together, they are simply unstoppable and wild. But underneath, their friendship is a bit less friendly than it should be. And, after Elise is found dead, Anna becomes the number one suspect. Her other friends, and even strangers, are quick to turn on her as Anna attempts to figure out who killed her best friend, and why. As the mystery of Dangerous Girls unfolds through alternating chapters, Haas makes every moment a thrilling ride.

Highlights: Anna is a very accessible protagonist, and it's easy enough to feel sorry for her as she faces such a difficult situation. While I'm usually not a fan of past / present POV chapter switches, it worked in this novel because it allowed a complete view of who Anna and Elise are/were and how this mess came to be. The writing flows nicely, keeping me hooked for hours and hours. Someone spoiled the big twist for me online, but even despite that, Haas still kept me curious, intrigued, and addicted from start to finish. 

Lowlights: It ended? 

Rating: The Royal Library, Top Shelf: Loved, 4+ out of 5. Despite the fact that I knew the twist ending before going into this novel, I still found Dangerous Girls to be captivating from start to finish. I almost let this story pass me by, and I'm incredibly glad that I decided to check it out. This novel was exactly the thriller / mystery I needed to read, and I loved every second of it. 

Highlights / Lowlights: GET EVEN | GET DIRTY | THE PERFECTIONISTS

Get Even

Title: Get Even

Author: Gretchen McNeil

Published: September 16th, 2014
Series: Don't Get Mad #1
Genre: YA contemporary | mystery
POV: 3rd person, multiple
Pages: 320
Publisher: HarperTeen
Format: Electronic ARC
Source: Edelweiss | Publisher
Rating: The Royal Library, Bottom Shelf

The Breakfast Club meets Pretty Little Liars in Gretchen McNeil’s witty and suspenseful novel about four disparate girls who join forces to take revenge on high school bullies and create dangerous enemies for themselves in the process.

Bree, Olivia, Kitty, and Margot have nothing in common—at least that’s what they’d like the students and administrators of their elite private school to think. The girls have different goals, different friends, and different lives, but they share one very big secret: They’re all members of Don’t Get Mad, a secret society that anonymously takes revenge on the school’s bullies, mean girls, and tyrannical teachers.

When their latest target ends up dead with a blood-soaked “DGM” card in his hands, the girls realize that they’re not as anonymous as they thought—and that someone now wants revenge on them. Soon the clues are piling up, the police are closing in . . . and everyone has something to lose.

Highlights: A group of girls from different circles band together to get revenge on the more mean-spirited people at their school, and their antics are undeniably fascinating. But, McNeil raises the stakes by introducing a blackmailing killer, who is all too eager to put DGM (Don't Get Mad) out of business for good. Exciting, surprising, and even a little sweet and humorous at times, Get Even is a thrill-ride of a story. 

Lowlights: It took until the halfway point before I was finally able to distinguish each girl and her life from one another. Cliffhanger ending. It felt slightly too long, and there were too many moments where I was already a few steps ahead of the characters. 

Rating: The Royal Library, Bottom Shelf: Really Liked, 3+ or 4- out of 5. Just when everything begins to become intriguing, it concludes! But fortunately, the sequel wraps everything up and gives readers the chance to get to know each main character more. 

Get Dirty

Title: Get Dirty

Author: Gretchen McNeil

Published: June 16th, 2015
Series: Don't Get Mad #2
Genre: YA contemporary | mystery
POV: 3rd person, multiple
Pages: 384
Publisher: HarperTeen
Format: Electronic ARC
Source: Edelweiss | Publisher
Rating: The Royal Library, Bottom Shelf

The members of Don’t Get Mad aren’t just mad anymore . . . they’re afraid. And with Margot in a coma and Bree stuck in juvie, it’s up to Olivia and Kitty to try to catch their deadly tormentor. But just as the girls are about to go on the offensive, Ed the Head reveals a shocking secret that turns all their theories upside down. The killer could be anyone, and this time he—or she—is out for more than just revenge.

The girls desperately try to discover the killer’s identity as their personal lives are falling apart: Donté is pulling away from Kitty and seems to be hiding a secret of his own, Bree is under house arrest, and Olivia’s mother is on an emotional downward spiral. The killer is closing in, the threats are becoming more personal, and when the police refuse to listen, the girls have no choice but to confront their anonymous friend . . . or die trying.

Highlights: The killer from Get Even isn't gone yet, and they want Bree, Margot, Kitty, and Olivia to suffer. The stakes are higher, the death rate increases, the secrets multiply, and the mystery only builds with each new revelation. Family and friendship, shockingly, become a much more important part of the story in this novel. 

Lowlights: My #1 suspect from the first novel was, in fact, the Big Bad. A few things were rather obvious, to me at least. I kind of feel like if pieces of this book had been combined with pieces of the first, it would have made an incredibly entertaining mystery. Separately, I couldn't help but to feel like it was one book too many for a mystery that should have been solved in the first novel. 

Rating: The Royal Library, Bottom Shelf: Really Liked, 3+ or 4- out of 5. Readers who pay close attention will likely be able to spot a few reveals before they happen, but McNeil still manages to make a few mysteries quite surprising. I'd recommend this duology to anyone who is in need of a good mystery. 

The Perfectionists

Title: The Perfectionists

Author: Sara Shepard

Published: October 7th, 2014
Series: Don't Get Mad #1
Genre: YA contemporary | mystery
POV: 3rd person, multiple
Pages: 336
Publisher: HarperTeen
Format: Electronic ARC
Source: Edelweiss | Publisher
Rating: Tea Party 

In Beacon Heights, Washington, five girls—Ava, Caitlin, Mackenzie, Julie, and Parker—know that you don’t have to be good to be perfect. At first the girls think they have nothing in common, until they realize that they all hate Nolan Hotchkiss, who’s done terrible things to each of them. They come up with the perfect way to kill him—a hypothetical murder, of course. It’s just a joke...until Nolan turns up dead, in exactly the way they planned. Only, they didn’t do it. And unless they find the real killer, their perfect lives will come crashing down around them.

Highlights: As with McNeil's Get Even and Get Dirty, Sara Shepard's The Perfectionists is about a group of girls who decide to get revenge on a cruel person who later turns up dead. And every page is very mysterious and exciting to read. The multiple POVs are excellently written, with each girl portraying a distinct personality that makes it impossible to confuse them with one another. As the five girls dig around to find the Nolan Hotchkiss' real killer, many secrets are unearthed, and some of them are quite surprising. The mystery only grows with each new clue, and I am quite curious to see who the killer will turn out to be. 

Lowlights: Perhaps it was because I read Get Even first, but this book seemed like a disappointment. There were many exciting moments, but by the time the story concluded, I felt like barely anything had even happened. The novel is too short, and ends without resolving anything, which I am not overly fond of. 

Rating: Tea Party: Liked, 3+ out of 5. While I had a few issues with The Perfectionists, it was undeniably a fascinating story to get lost in for a few hours, and I cannot wait to see how this mystery unfolds. 

Highlights / Lowlights: SNOW LIKE ASHES by Sara Raasch

Title: Snow Like Ashes
Author: Sara Raasch (@seesarawrite)
Published: October 2014
Series: Snow Like Ashes #1
Genre: YA Fantasy
POV: 1st person, present tense
Pages: 432
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Format: electronic ARC
Source: Edelweiss / HarperCollins
Rating: The Royal Library, Top Shelf

Sixteen years ago the Kingdom of Winter was conquered and its citizens enslaved, leaving them without magic or a monarch. The Winterians' only hope for freedom is the eight survivors who managed to escape, and who have been searching for the opportunity to steal back Winter’s magic and rebuild their kingdom ever since.

Orphaned as an infant during Winter’s defeat, Meira has lived her whole life as a refugee. Training to be a warrior—and desperately in love with her best friend, Winter’s future king—she would do anything to help Winter rise to power again. So when scouts discover the location of half of the ancient locket that can restore their magic, Meira decides to go after it herself—only to find herself thrust into a world of evil magic and dangerous politics, and to realize that her destiny is not, never has been, her own.

Highlight: Secrets. MORE SECRETS. ALL THE SECRETS. Granted, I did guess one big one, but I was still intrigued from start to finish.

Highlight: Characters. Meira is stubborn, smart, determined, and my kind of narrator. And, the side characters are wonderful as well. From the good guys to the bad guys, Raasch makes everyone feel realistic and distinct.

Lowlight: Initially, confusing. Maybe it was just me, but reading the first chapter felt like I was stumbling around in the dark with a faulty flashlight and I had no idea what was happening or where everyone was. I think a map would have helped (which my ARC did not have, but I believe the final version does). I simply found it difficult to get into the beginning and to navigate the world, but once I went back and pushed forward, everything fell into place.

Highlight: World. Once I started to understand the layout and the differences in the various kingdoms, this world became quite fascinating. Raasch creates a lush world with magic, and such scenic kingdoms that I felt like I could see the ones that were described vividly. I cannot wait to explore the rest of this world.

Highlight: Adventure. Snow Like Ashes begins with adventure, and Raasch only continues to push Meira further out into her world. The search for part of the locket and goal of restoring the Kingdom of Winter drives Meira and her fellow Winterians throughout the entire story, but there are plenty of obstacles in their path.

Highlight: Fight scenes. I love a good fight scene, and Snow Like Ashes doesn't disappoint. Meira is confident in her abilities, especially with a chakram. This is a girl who does not wait around for the male characters to save her - she takes action, she argues, and she fights for everything she believes in.

Lowlight: Love triangle. I cannot wait until this stops being a thing in YA lit.

Highlight: Light + adorable romance. HOWEVER, Raasch writes it well. While there are two boys in Meira's life, one is a longtime crush with (unfortunately) little chance and the other is a an adorable, budding romance that has its own complications. Fortunately, this story kept the romance simple, sweet, and sometimes amusing. 

Highlight: Politics. It kind of reminds me a bit of Rae Carson's The Girl of Fire and Thorns, where there is some focus on politics and doing whatever is necessary to create peace between kingdoms. But, of course, things do not go completely as planned. Every deal and betrayal kept me hooked, and there are a few surprises.

Rating: The Royal Library, Top Shelf: Loved, 4+ out of 5. Once I pushed through the first few chapters, I was hooked. Snow Like Ashes is an action-packed adventure through a vivid world full of magic, secrets, and lies. Love, loss, betrayal, secrets, rebellions, friendship, evil rulers....this book has everything I love in a story, and I'm excited to have a new YA fantasy series & world to explore. 

I received an advanced copy of this novel from the publisher for review consideration. 

This is no way affected my opinion of the novel. 

Mini-Review: THE DREAM THIEVES by Maggie Stiefvater

Title: The Dream Thieves
Author: Maggie Stiefvater (@mstiefvater)
Published: September 17th, 2013
Series: The Raven Cycle #2
Genre: YA Fantasy
POV: 3rd, multiple
Pages: 439
Publisher: Scholastic
Format: eARC / Hardcover
Source: Netgalley / Purchased
Rating: Loved

Now that the ley lines around Cabeswater have been woken, nothing for Ronan, Gansey, Blue, and Adam will be the same.

Ronan, for one, is falling more and more deeply into his dreams, and his dreams are intruding more and more into waking life.

Meanwhile, some very sinister people are looking for some of the same pieces of the Cabeswater puzzle that Gansey is after...

I can easily sum up my thoughts on The Dream Thieves in one tweet:

I finally finished THE DREAM THIEVES, and I can't decide if I should praise or curse @mstiefvater. And now I really wish I had BL,LB...
— Lea J. (@YABookQueen) September 16, 2014

To say a little more, while keeping this spoiler-free, The Dream Thieves is evocative, surprising, and incredibly emotional (for the characters, and for the reader). The best part of this story is Ronan, a character I never fully understood in The Raven Boys, and perhaps still do not fully understand now. But, with this novel, Stiefvater reveals sides to Ronan that I never would have imagined. Mysteries and secrets are explained and revealed, while more questions surface as the search for Glendower continues. But now, it's not only Blue, Gansey, Ronan, Noah, and Adam who are looking, but a mysterious hit man arrives in search for something very important to Cabeswater. 

Highlights: Stiefvater focuses this novel on Ronan, but still switches to other character points-of-view. Despite the constant bouncing around, it never becomes confusing, and it always feels like the right move. Stiefvater even manages to make me care for characters who I shouldn't sympathize for. Luckily, she also gave me a character to hate¹, and continued to develop the characters I already adored from the last novel. But, it is the surprises, the reveals, the oh-my-gosh-what-is-going-to-happen-next moments that makes this story shine. 

Lowlights: THAT ENDING². Darn you, cliffhanger. I almost yelled at the book. OKAY, I might have yelled at the book. *sighs* 

Rating: The Royal Library, Top Shelf: Loved, 5 out of 5. It took me a year to read simply because I was enjoying it so much and didn't want it to end. This is a magnificent sequel. The Dream Thieves moves slowly, easing you into the still water before pulling you deep into a rushing river of emotions, surprises, and so much more. 

1 Kavinsky, you are a terrible person.
2 WHY ARE YOU TRYING TO KILL ME, STIEFVATER?! I'm trying to resist the urge to read BL,LB right away, because I know it will make me desperately want the last still-needs-to-be-published novel. 

Review: LIV, FOREVER by Amy Talkington

Title: Liv, Forever
Author: Amy Talkington (@amytalkington)
Published: March 2014
Series: N/A
Genre: YA Paranormal
POV: 1st person
Pages: 280
Publisher: Soho Teen
Format: Print ARC
Source: Vine Program
Rating: The Royal Library, Bottom Shelf

When Liv Bloom lands an art scholarship at Wickham Hall, it’s her ticket out of the foster system. Liv isn’t sure what to make of the school’s weird traditions and rituals, but she couldn’t be happier. For the first time ever, she has her own studio, her own supply of paints. Everything she could want.

Then she meets Malcolm Astor, a legacy student, a fellow artist, and the one person who’s ever been able to melt her defenses. Liv’s only friend at Wickham, fellow scholarship kid Gabe Nichols, warns her not to get involved, but life is finally going Liv’s way, and all she wants to do is enjoy the ride.

But Liv’s bliss is doomed. Weeks after arriving, she is viciously murdered and, in death, she discovers that she’s the latest victim of a dark conspiracy that has claimed many lives. Cursed with the ability to see the many ghosts on Wickham’s campus, Gabe is now Liv’s only link to the world of the living. To Malcolm.

Together, Liv, Gabe, and Malcolm fight to expose the terrible truth that haunts the halls of Wickham. But Liv must fight alone to come to grips with the ultimate star-crossed love.

Initially, my expectations were incredibly low for this book. For whatever reason, the combination of the cover and summary only made me roll my eyes. The only reason I decided to read this story is because I read a glowing review from Melissa at I Swim For Oceans. I think she has fabulous taste in stories, so I took a chance. Even so, I entered with the feeling I might be disappointed, and was pleasantly surprised. Liv Bloom is only at her ritzy school for a short time – long enough to fall in love with legacy Malcolm Astor, start her art work, and unfortunately become murdered. Awakening as a ghost, she's determined to find out what happened to her with a little help from Gabe – a student who sees all of the ghosts of girls who have been killed at Wickham Hall – and Malcolm, the three of them seek the truth.

While a few aspects are a bit transparent regarding the mystery, Talkington's novel is still undeniably entertaining. Liv is a protagonist you want to succeed, and the horror aspects of this story are written in the just the right way to give you chills. The relationships within Liv, Forever sold this novel for me. Liv and Malcolm are a surprisingly sweet couple, and Liv's friendship with Gabe is wonderful too. There's plenty of small moments of humor mixed in with the serious, and Liv, Forever proves to be a book that will keep you reading long after you meant to set it aside for the day.

Highlights: The rules of being a ghost were interesting to discover – Liv can interact with the world around her, somewhat, but it's limited. The pages detailing the deaths of the other girls were incredibly eerie, and set the right tone for the story. Liv's a great protagonist, and her artistic nature shows through (I liked her references to other artist's works). The mystery was interesting, and the ending was a surprise. Descriptions were fantastic, Talkington excelled at bringing her setting and characters to life. 

Lowlights: I saw a few aspects coming, and a few more seemed a bit cliched. But, still a highly entertaining story.

Rating: The Royal Library, Bottom Shelf (4 out of 5). Liv, Forever was much better than I expected, and I think this is a story worth reading. It's dark, mysterious, amusing, and full of surprises. 

I received an advanced copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review. 

This is no way affected my opinion of the novel.

Highlights / Lowlights: RITES OF PASSAGE, THE BODY IN THE WOODS, AFTER THE END

RITES OF PASSAGE

Title: Rites of Passage
Author: Joy N. Hensley (@joynhensley)
Published: September 9th, 2014
Series: N/A
Genre: YA contemporary | mystery
POV: 1st person
Pages: 416
Publisher: HarperTeen
Format: Electronic ARC
Source: Edelweiss | Publisher
Rating: The Royal Library, Top Shelf

Sam McKenna’s never turned down a dare. And she's not going to start with the last one her brother gave her before he died.

So Sam joins the first-ever class of girls at the prestigious Denmark Military Academy. She’s expecting push-ups and long runs, rope climbing and mud-crawling. As a military brat, she can handle an obstacle course just as well as the boys. She's even expecting the hostility she gets from some of the cadets who don’t think girls belong there. What she’s not expecting is her fiery attraction to her drill sergeant. But dating is strictly forbidden and Sam won't risk her future, or the dare, on something so petty...no matter how much she wants him.

As Sam struggles to prove herself, she discovers that some of the boys don’t just want her gone—they will stop at nothing to drive her out. When their petty threats turn to brutal hazing, bleeding into every corner of her life, she realizes they are not acting alone. A decades-old secret society is alive and active… and determined to force her out.

At any cost.

Now time's running short. Sam must decide who she can trust...and choosing the wrong person could have deadly consequences.

Highlights: While reading, I marveled many times about Sam's strength, guts, and sheer will to complete her goals. This is a girl who has such a fierce determination, and I was rooting for her to succeed every step of the way. The obstacles are both physically and mentally brutal, but Sam uses every ounce of mental and physical strength  she has to prove that girls are capable of completing this training. the atmosphere of the academy is perfectly written, and the romance surprised me with its slow burn, building into something over time in a truly genuine manner. Hensley builds the tension slowly, raising the stakes until finally finishing with a shocking, action-packed conclusion. Rites of Passage is one of those stories that makes you feel - anger, joy, and everything in between. 

Lowlights: A few times, it did seem to get a little this-is-too-dramatic-and-over-the-top-to-be-true, but I don't care. I was sold by that point. My other lowlight is a spoiler involving her brother (I simply feel he could have been more honest with her, and I'll just leave it at that). Also, while the ending settles some aspects of the story, there are few more that are left open. I sincerely hope there will be a sequel!

Rating: The Royal Library, Top Shelf (4.7 out of 5). If this book isn't on your to-be-read list, it should be. Rites of Passage is a story filled with secrets, humor, action, and a dash of romance. 

THE BODY IN THE WOODS

Title: The Body in the Woods

Author: April Henry (@aprilhenrybooks)

Published: June 2014

Series: Point Last Seen #1

Genre: YA mystery / thriller

POV: 3rd person, switching

Pages: 263

Publisher: Henry Holt & Co (BYR)

Format: Print ARC

Source: Publicist

Rating: The Courtyard

In this new series told from multiple perspectives, teen members of a search and rescue team discover a dead body in the woods.

Alexis, Nick, and Ruby have very different backgrounds: Alexis has spent her life covering for her mom’s mental illness, Nick’s bravado hides his fear of not being good enough, and Ruby just wants to pursue her eccentric interests in a world that doesn’t understand her. When the three teens join Portland County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue, they are teamed up to search for a autistic man lost in the woods. What they find instead is a dead body. In a friendship that will be forged in danger, fear, and courage, the three team up to find the girl’s killer—before he can strike one of their own.

Highlights: The Body in the Woods is a tense mystery that will make you second guess your suspects and eagerly turn the pages to the final reveal. Henry builds tension and suspense nicely, and the short chapters from the killer's POV were incredibly intriguing and disturbing. Henry's descriptions were great, especially with the forest settings. 

Lowlights: Third person POV is a hit or a miss with me, and in this case, I feel like it was a miss. I didn't care for the characters, and I only kept reading because I wanted to see if I guessed correctly regarding the killer. Perhaps Henry's writing style isn't for me, because this book didn't have that spark I look for in novels.

Rating: The Courtyard (very low 3 out of 5). While this story didn't quite hit the mark for me, The Body in the Woods did provide a fascinating mystery to unravel. 

AFTER THE END

Title: After the End

Author: Amy Plum (@AmyPlumOhLaLa)

Published: May 2014

Series: After the End #1

Genre: YA sci-fi / dystopia

POV: 1st person, dual, alternating

Pages: 352

Publisher: HarperCollins

Format: eARC

Source: Edelweiss

Rating: The Royal Library, Bottom Shelf

She’s searching for answers to her past. They’re hunting her to save their future.

World War III has left the world ravaged by nuclear radiation. A lucky few escaped to the Alaskan wilderness. They've survived for the last thirty years by living off the land, being one with nature, and hiding from whoever else might still be out there.

At least, this is what Juneau has been told her entire life.

When Juneau returns from a hunting trip to discover that everyone in her clan has vanished, she sets off to find them. Leaving the boundaries of their land for the very first time, she learns something horrifying: There never was a war. Cities were never destroyed. The world is intact. Everything was a lie.

Now Juneau is adrift in a modern-day world she never knew existed. But while she's trying to find a way to rescue her friends and family, someone else is looking for her. Someone who knows the extraordinary truth about the secrets of her past.

Highlights: Juneau and Miles are as different as night and day - one is highly intuitive and one with nature, while the other is your typical teenager, making their interactions extremely amusing at times. I found Juneau's point-of-view more intriguing, if only because her background and abilities are more fascinating and creative. The secrets that are revealed didn't disappoint, and I was left curious to see what happens next with these characters. 

Lowlights: The middle of the story lagged a bit. The beginning was fantastic, and the end was interesting, but I grew a bit bored during the chapters between. I kind of wish more of the story had taken place in Alaska, but that's just because I don't read a lot of novels set there. 

Rating: The Royal Library, Bottom Shelf (very low 4 out of 5). A unique, creative story, After the End is a novel full of surprises. 

I received advanced copies of these novels from the publishers in exchange for honest reviews. 

This is no way affected my opinion of each novel. 

Review: NIL by Lynne Matson

Title: NIL
Author: Lynne Matson
Release: March 4th, 2014
Genre: YA thriller/sci-fi
Pages: 384
POV: 1st, dual, alternating
Publisher: Henry Holt & Co. BYR
Format: Print ARC
Source: Publicist
Rating: The Royal Library, Middle Shelf

On the mysterious island of Nil, the rules are set. You have exactly 365 days to escape—or you die.

Seventeen-year-old Charley doesn’t know the rules. She doesn’t even know where she is. The last thing she remembers is blacking out, and when she wakes up, she’s naked in an empty rock field.

Lost and alone, Charley finds no sign of other people until she meets Thad, the gorgeous leader of a clan of teenage refugees. Soon Charley learns that leaving the island is harder than she thought . . . and so is falling in love. With Thad’s time running out, Charley realizes that she has to find a way to beat the clock, and quickly.

Nil begins with a bang as Charley is swept away by a strange shimmer and lands on an even stranger island. That excitement and tension never ceases. Instead, it builds and evolves, keeping the reader hooked and curious. Matson teases her readers with the dangers and curiosities of the mysterious island Nil, and uses her two protagonists to ground her story in reality. The narration switches between Charley¹ and Thad², giving readers two different perspectives as both try to unravel Nil's mysteries and find a way home. As the days tick by, the danger and excitement levels increase, until the novel's surprising conclusion. An action-packed survival-romance story, Nil is a thrilling debut. 

Highlights: The best compliment I can give to Nil is that I never wanted to set this story aside. Nil is a thrilling adventure and mystery from start to finish. This is one of those books where you'll find yourself turning the pages, hours after promising yourself you'd stop at such-and-such chapter. The characters are fresh and easy to differentiate from one another. Nil's wildlife provided plenty of excitement and tension. Descriptions of the island were intriguing, and Nil was undeniably my favorite aspect of the novel - it was almost a character in its own right. 

Lowlights: The romance, while sweet, did seem a little insta-lovey. I do also think it's strange that only Charley was able to find a pattern when it came to Nil's curiosities. Initially, I felt like the dialogue seemed a bit forced (especially when it came to specific accents / dialects). 

Rating: The Royal Library, Bottom Shelf (4 out of 5).

1 Charley: a gorgeous Southern girl, with legs for days, who is quite determined to make it off this island, and is very resourceful. I liked her instantly, she has a strong personality.
2 Thad: leader of Nil city, Canadian, has a body like a Greek god, and a sweet disposition. It took a little time, but he grew on me. 

Review: WE WERE LIARS by E. Lockhart

Title: WE WERE LIARS
Author: E. Lockhart
Published: May 13th, 2014
Genre: YA contemporary
Pages: 240
POV: 1st person
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Format: e-ARC
Source: Netgalley / Publisher
Rating: The Royal Library, Top Shelf

A beautiful and distinguished family.
A private island.
A brilliant, damaged girl; a passionate, political boy.
A group of four friends—the Liars—whose friendship turns destructive.
A revolution. An accident. A secret.
Lies upon lies.
True love.
The truth.

We Were Liars is a modern, sophisticated suspense novel from National Book Award finalist and Printz Award honoree E. Lockhart.

Read it.

And if anyone asks you how it ends, just LIE.

On the outside, the Sinclair family is perfect. Just ask anyone. But for Cadence Sinclair, life is anything but perfect after an accident she cannot remember. For her, life is one big show of acting like she's okay, she's fine, even as she suffers from severely crippling migraines and the lingering uncertainty of what exactly happened her fifteenth summer on the island - the summer she can barely remember and the summer that changed her life completely. We Were Liars is simply captivating, and the type of story that demands you set everything aside in order to finish reading in one sitting.

We Were Liars is a quiet type of story, and it quickly became a story that I did not expect to read. From the very beginning, I was not sure what to make of Cadence. From the title alone, the possibility of having an unreliable narrator is high, but Lockhart shapes Cadence into a character you want to trust and fully believe. With each new reclaimed memory from Cadence and all of the little confusing moments, I was hooked, curious, and eager for more. This is a genuinely challenging story to discuss, but it is one worth reading and rereading. Smart, evocative, and surprising, We Were Liars is a thrilling puzzle to piece together, tear apart, and put back together again and again. 

Highlights: Lockhart's writing style is simplistic yet evocative. Cadence's voice is a nice mixture between a familiar YA-style prose and bare, revealing poetic lines. Despite the numerous hints, I guessed the wrong ending, which made the reveal more shocking and intense. Cadence, as an MC, was great simply because of her imperfections - she's a spoiled rich girl, and even though she tries to be better, her privileged side shows through in some moments. 

Lowlights: I wish it was longer, and that the side characters had been developed a bit more. 

Rating: The Royal Library, Top Shelf. We Were Liars swept me away right from the beginning with its mesmerizing writing style and tantalizing mystery. This is one story you need to check out. 

Highlights / Lowlights: FIND ME by Romily Bernard

Title: FIND ME
Author: Romily Bernard (Twitter)
Published: September 2013
Series: Find Me #1
Genre: YA mystery
Pages: 307
POV: 1st person
Publisher: HarperTeen
Format: ARC
Source: Vine Program
Rating: The Royal Library, Middle Shelf

“Find Me.”

These are the words written on Tessa Waye’s diary. The diary that ends up with Wick Tate. But Tessa’s just been found . . . dead.

Wick has the right computer-hacking skills for the job, but little interest in this perverse game of hide-and-seek. Until her sister Lily is the next target.

Then Griff, trailer-park boy next door and fellow hacker, shows up, intent on helping Wick. Is a happy ending possible with the threat of Wick’s deadbeat dad returning, the detective hunting him sniffing around Wick instead, and a killer taunting her at every step?

Foster child. Daughter of a felon. Loner hacker girl. Wick has a bad attitude and sarcasm to spare.

But she’s going to find this killer no matter what.

Because it just got personal.

Highlights: Find Me is a story that readers will easily devour, thanks to the short chapters that are bursting with action. The romance was likable, if only because it did not overwhelm the story. This is first and foremost a mystery, and Bernard does not disappoint readers. Even though I guessed the culprit, a few red herrings made me second guess myself at every turn of the page. A strong sense of family (blood or not), and learning what it means to be family, is present. From the sugary sweet to the intimidatingly terrifying, characters were realistically written. Every single time I told myself I'd stop at the end of the chapter, I'd keep going. This was, truly, a hard novel to set aside. Wick's voice is sharp, fresh, and likable - she's no cookie-cutter heroine, and I enjoyed her character all the more for it. If you're looking for a fast-paced mystery that will keep you hooked, Find Me is the perfect story. 

Lowlights: I guessed the killer from the beginning¹. Sometimes it felt a bit too fast-paced, it would have been nice to slow things down and get to know the characters a bit more – connect with them more.

Rating: The Royal Library, Middle Shelf (high 4 out of 5). Find Me is fantastic, worth owning, and has earned a spot in the royal library. I enjoyed Find Me very much, despite a few small issues, and would recommend this story to other readers who want to read an intriguing and surprising YA mystery. 

1 But, I'm very good at solving mysteries in novels. I should be a detective!²
2 Okay, maybe not. I'd probably accuse a bunch of innocent people, and it would just be terrible. 

Review: CONJURED by Sarah Beth Durst

Title: CONJURED
Author: Sarah Beth Durst
Released: September 3rd, 2013
Series: N/A
Genre: YA paranormal / fantasy
Pages: 368
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Format: eARC
Source: Publicist
Rating: The Royal Library, Middle Shelf

Eve has a new home, a new face, and a new name—but no memories of her past. She’s been told that she's in a witness protection program. That she escaped a dangerous magic-wielding serial killer who still hunts her. The only thing she knows for sure is that there is something horrifying in her memories the people hiding her want to access—and there is nothing they won’t say—or do—to her to get her to remember.

At night she dreams of a tattered carnival tent and buttons being sewn into her skin. But during the day, she shelves books at the local library, trying to not let anyone know that she can do things—things like change the color of her eyes or walk through walls. When she does use her strange powers, she blacks out and is drawn into terrifying visions, returning to find that days or weeks have passed—and she’s lost all short-term memories. Eve must find out who and what she really is before the killer finds her—but the truth may be more dangerous than anyone could have ever imagined.

Conjured is undoubtedly like nothing you've read before. The narration twists and shifts between different perspectives from Eve (her normal 3rd person POV, flashbacks in 1st person, and eventually, the novel shifts from 3rd to 1st person) as she attempts to come to terms with her current life in the paranormal witness protection program. But, she is haunted by memories of a twisted circus, a murderous magician, a terrifyingly captivating storyteller. None of her memories make the slightest bit of sense to her. To top it off, her peculiar abilities, when used, sometimes cause her black out and lose track of her recent memories, making it difficult to know who to trust and who is lying to her.

Durst continues to impress me with every story she writes. Her work always includes highly impressive and imaginative storylines, and Conjured is no exception. Eve's point-of-view is odd, peculiar, and the mystery surrounding her and the other characters in the paranormal witness protection program is a thrill to unravel. While I was not completely sold on the romance, the mystery and descriptive writing style make this a challenging story to set aside. With so much paranormal young adult literature, it can be difficult to differentiate between books, but this is one story that truly stands out. Darkly mysterious and eerily entrancing, Conjured is a dazzling tale that will surprise you in more ways than one.

Highlights: The twisted circus memories and realities kept me hooked. I was unable to guess the truth about Eve's origins, even though the hints were presented early on. This would be a fun book to reread, if only to see all of these hints again. Durst develops a fully realized world, both our "normal" world and the worlds in Eve's memories. The writing is lyrical at times, and wonderfully vivid.

Lowlights: The romance is underwhelming and very quick to form (or perhaps it only felt that way simply because of Eve's memory issues).

Rating: The Royal Library, Middle Shelf. Conjured is an eerily fantastic story that is worth owning, and  it has earned a spot in the royal library. I enjoyed Conjured very much, despite a one or two small issues, and would highly recommend this eerily magical story to other readers.

Review: TORCHED by Andrea Lynn Colt

Title: TORCHED
Author: Andrea Lynn Colt
Published: September 2012
Series: None
Genre: YA Contemporary
Publisher: self-published
Pages: 370
POV: 1st person
Format: Kindle
Source: Purchased
Rating: The Royal Library, Middle Shelf

"Cheerleader Rose Whitfield's senior year goes up in smoke when she's framed for arson.

Sure that the culprit is her neighbor Paxton, with whom she's been feuding since middle school, she sets out to clear her name and take Paxton down hard--not necessarily in that order."

Rose Whitfield has it all: the perfect boyfriend, a popular BFF, the captain spot on the cheerleading squad and the top GPA at her high school. But, with a little fuel for the fire and the strike of a match, Rose's perfect life goes up in (actual) flames. Framed for arson, Rose quickly learns who her allies are when the people who should stand behind her – her boyfriend, best friend, and even her parents – don't seem to believe she's innocent. With only one person to rely on, and the absolute last person she ever expected to believe her, Rose digs for the truth. But thanks to her history of pranks that sometimes go awry, Rose discovers that she might have made more enemies during the last few years than she could have ever guessed.

A humorous and surprise-filled debut novel, TORCHED is an enjoyable mystery that will keep you glued to the pages from start to finish. Colt writes with plenty of humor, giving Rose an amusing voice that feels fresh and authentic. While the romantic aspect of the story is easy to see coming, it's an endearing inclusion that rounds out this mystery novel very nicely. Speaking of mystery, Colt keeps the suspense alive and burning throughout most of the novel – giving small hints here and there, but saving the reveal until much closer to the conclusion. Even when I originally guessed the culprit, Colt made me doubt my choice left me changing my mind repeatedly. If you're looking for a fun story with a dash of romance and plenty of mystery, I would highly suggest checking out TORCHED. 

Highlights: Colt's writing is fun, fresh, and very easy to enjoy. Rose's transformation and effort to be a better person was gradual and realistic. The romance was sweet and genuine. Each character was authentic in their own right. Honestly, as a whole, this book went above and beyond my admittedly low expectations. I usually equate low novel prices to low quality writing, but TORCHED is the exception. Also, I love that Rose named her car Cloudmonster. 

Lowlights: Rose spends a lot of time focusing on the (obviously) wrong person for a little more than a 100 pages, which I found a bit frustrating. OH! And Rose's parents. My gosh. What is wrong with them?!

Rating: The Royal Library, Middle Shelf. TORCHED is a fantastic story worth owning, and it has earned a spot in the royal library. I enjoyed this story very much, despite a few small issues, and would recommend TORCHED to other readers, especially if you're a fan of mystery, humor, and romance. 

Highlights / Lowlights: THE DIVINERS by Libba Bray

Title: THE DIVINERS
Author: Libba Bray
Published: September 2012
Genre: YA Mystery / Historical / Horror / Paranormal
Series: The Diviners #1
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
POV: 3rd, alternating
Pages: 578
Format: Hardcover
Source: Library
Rating: 3.8 out of 5

Evie O'Neill has been exiled from her boring old hometown and shipped off to the bustling streets of New York City--and she is pos-i-toot-ly thrilled. New York is the city of speakeasies, shopping, and movie palaces! Soon enough, Evie is running with glamorous Ziegfield girls and rakish pickpockets. The only catch is Evie has to live with her Uncle Will, curator of The Museum of American Folklore, Superstition, and the Occult--also known as "The Museum of the Creepy Crawlies."

When a rash of occult-based murders comes to light, Evie and her uncle are right in the thick of the investigation. And through it all, Evie has a secret: a mysterious power that could help catch the killer--if he doesn't catch her first.

Highlights: Libba Bray books tend to be either a hit or a miss with me, so I was a bit anxious when I left my local library with the behemoth that is THE DIVINERS. But, it fortunately did deliver the eerie read I was promised. Atmospheric and rich in details, THE DIVINERS features a diverse cast of characters, a captivating mystery, and a wonderfully depicted setting. In addition, Bray knows how to write with humor, which allows a nice balance in regard to the horror aspect of the novel. Plus, it's written in 3rd person POV (which, obviously, I love)!

Lowlights: THE DIVINERS reads like a long book. It feels long, and certain moments seem utterly unnecessary. In the end, it doesn't seem like enough is accomplished, especially when taking into consideration the amount of "main" characters the story features. I probably would have loved this story more if it had narrowed it's focus to only one or two main characters. 

In the end, I would give THE DIVINERS a 3.8 out of 5 rating – I really, really liked it, but I also had a few issues with this novel. If you're looking for an eerie, historical novel with a large cast of characters, this book is perfect for you!

Review: THE INNOCENTS by Lili Peloquin

Title: THE INNOCENTS
Author: Lili Peloquin
Published: October 16th, 2012
Genre: YA contemporary, mystery
Publisher: Razorbill
POV: 3rd, alternating
Pages: 288
Format: ARC paperback
Source: unsolicited from Publisher
Rating: 3 out of 5

"Nothing ever came between sisters Alice and Charlie.

Friends didn't.

Boys couldn't.

Their family falling apart never would.

Until they got to Serenity Point.

"The Innocents" is the first in a new series of young adult novels that weave a saga of nail-biting drama, breathless romance, and gothic mystery."

THE INNOCENTS may move at a languid pace, but it provides all of the tantalizing drama and mysteries it promises in the summary. And, with an alternating 3rd person POV, Peloquin gives readers the chance to get to know both leading ladies – Alice and Charlie. While Charlie easily adjusts to living in luxury and befriends some of the most influential teens in their new hometown, Alice can't help but to dig a little deeper into their stepfather's past, including the mysteries surrounding his recently deceased wife and daughter. But, in Serenity Point, almost everyone has a secret that they would rather keep buried. 

I am a bit disappointed, because for all the intrigue THE INNOCENTS provides, it falls short in the character department and that hindered my experience with this story. While I wanted to love this story and the juicy drama, all of the characters were thoroughly difficult to enjoy and the protagonists were either utterly unlikable (Charlie) or boringly bland (Alice). However, the mysteries contained in the story itself are very tantalizing. With a better cast of characters and more character development, this could have been a gem. Yet, I'm sure many readers who are not as picky with their protagonists will happily devour and adore THE INNOCENTS – if it sounds like your kind of book, give it a shot!

Highlights: I may hate real-life drama, but I love fictional drama. The secrets! The twists! The surprises! Peloquin's debut delivers when it comes to the surprises at the conclusion, and I'm betting the sequel will have even more intriguing secrets to discover.

Lowlights: People who read actively will be able to interpret the clues early on and guess the ending twists. This story is very slowly paced. I couldn't connect with Alice and Charlie. The romance wasn't anything special. 

Review: PAPER VALENTINE by Brenna Yovanoff

Title: PAPER VALENTINE
Author: Brenna Yovanoff
Published: January 2013
Genre: YA, mystery, paranormal
Publisher: Razorbill
POV: 1st person
Pages: 306
Format: Advanced Reader's Copy, paperback
Source: Unsolicited from Publisher

"The city of Ludlow is gripped by the hottest July on record. The asphalt is melting, the birds are dying, petty crime is on the rise, and someone in Hannah Wagnor’s peaceful suburban community is killing girls.

For Hannah, the summer is a complicated one. Her best friend Lillian died six months ago, and Hannah just wants her life to go back to normal. But how can things be normal when Lillian’s ghost is haunting her bedroom, pushing her to investigate the mysterious string of murders? Hannah’s just trying to understand why her friend self-destructed, and where she fits now that Lillian isn’t there to save her a place among the social elite. And she must stop thinking about Finny Boone, the big, enigmatic delinquent whose main hobbies seem to include petty larceny and surprising acts of kindness.

With the entire city in a panic, Hannah soon finds herself drawn into a world of ghost girls and horrifying secrets. She realizes that only by confronting the Valentine Killer will she be able move on with her life—and it’s up to her to put together the pieces before he strikes again."

From the first chapter, it was easy to notice: Yovanoff's writing has a lovely yet strange flow / ring to it. At times, her word choice for certain descriptions was unexpectedly odd yet fitting as the words evoked the underlying emotion and meaning. Yovanoff gives the narrator, Hannah, a voice is decidedly "Hannah," unique to her personality and utterly captivating. I was worried that Hannah's budding relationship with Finny would detract from the mystery at hand, but it instead allowed the story and Hannah's character to grow a bit stronger. Hannah's relationships – familial, friendship, and romantic – all became intriguing plot points.

PAPER VALENTINE may meander along at a languid pace, but this allows the new string of murders to become all the more chilling and unsettling. With each new discovery, the tension grows until it is like a rubber band on the verge of snapping – but it never grows into too much. It's a soft yet unsettling eeriness that lingers in the background, perfectly mixed in with the surprising amount of more lighthearted moments. Also, while this story is a murder mystery, PAPER VALENTINE is also a ghost story centering around friendship. Hannah's best friend, Lillian, died six months ago, but Lillian's still hanging around as a ghost, pushing Hannah to dig deeper into the killings. These two bring out the best and worst in each other, and it was nice to see how they both evolved throughout the story. PAPER VALENTINE has a couple flaws, but is nonetheless an unexpected pleasant surprise that delivers in more ways than one. 

Highlights: Hannah's POV was similataneously expected and unexpected. On the one hand, she's what I expected from a YA novel heroine. On the other hand, her voice is very distinct and I enjoyed her peculiar descriptions and flashbacks. I like that Yovanoff didn't settle with only telling a murder mystery, but she instead built a community and inhabited it with imperfect, realistic characters that capture the reader's attention. I enjoyed the emphasis on family and sisterhood in this story. The Valentine Killer surprised me, because I was simultaneously incorrect and correct regarding the identity of the killer. 

Lowlights: Slightly predictable. The middle suffered a bit due to the slower pacing. I'm not a fan of the (sort of a spoiler - highlight to read) villain-confesses-all-before-trying-to-murder-the-hero(ine) ending, and that's unfortunately used here. It felt like a lot was happening in this story, which isn't necessarily bad, but it seemed like the story got off track a few times.

Review: OUT OF THE EASY by Ruta Sepetys

Title: OUT OF THE EASY
Author: Ruta Sepetys
Published: February 12th, 2013
Genre: YA, historical, mystery
Publisher: Philomel
POV: 1st person
Pages: 352
Format: Advanced Reader's Copy
Source: Unsolicited from Publisher

It’s 1950, and as the French Quarter of New Orleans simmers with secrets, seventeen-year-old Josie Moraine is silently stirring a pot of her own. Known among locals as the daughter of a brothel prostitute, Josie wants more out of life than the Big Easy has to offer. She devises a plan get out, but a mysterious death in the Quarter leaves Josie tangled in an investigation that will challenge her allegiance to her mother, her conscience, and Willie Woodley, the brusque madam on Conti Street.

Josie is caught between the dream of an elite college and a clandestine underworld. New Orleans lures her in her quest for truth, dangling temptation at every turn, and escalating to the ultimate test.

I highly enjoyed Sepetys's debut novel, BETWEEN SHADES OF GRAY, so I was naturally curious and nervous when it came to her sophomore novel. Could Sepetys bring a different time and place to life with as much emotion as her debut? I was skeptical, so I kept putting off reading this story until I finally read Christina's (Confessions of a Book Addict) review and was convinced that I needed to give it a chance. Fortunately, all of my worries about this novel were soothed and erased within first few chapters. Sepetys depicts New Orleans and this story's characters richly and vividly. OUT OF THE EASY is one of those stories where you find yourself eagerly flipping the pages as the mystery unfolds. This book even proves itself to be a touching, memorable story, largely because of the exceptional characters. 

I never thought I would love a book involving murder, brothels, terrible mothers, gangsters, and love triangles, but I was obviously wrong. The characters all prove themselves to be fully developed, and not quite the people you initially expect them to be. While there is a mystery to be solved within the story, I found Josie's growth and interpersonal relationships to be more fascinating. She's growing into herself, trying to decide who she is and where her future will take her. Despite everything that holds her back, she's one tough cookie and I was on Josie's side from the beginning. All in all, this is such a challenging story to review simply because it was incredible. If you love authentic historical novels, wonderful characters, coming of age moments, and a touch of mystery and romance, then you need to read OUT OF THE EASY. You won't regret it. 

Highlights: The characters, the setting, the writing....Sepetys portrays everything vividly and with the right amount of authenticity. She gives readers characters to love¹ and hate ², along with settings that burst to life with each and every word. These characters make this story something special. Even the love triangle is expertly written. Plus, Josie works in a bookstore and she's a total bookworm, which makes her instantly awesome. 

Lowlights: I want more? 

Cover: I like the shades of green that are used, since I don't usually see too many green covers. The symbolism is nice, too. It's a good cover, but it's not the best one I've ever seen.

1 Jesse! Josie! Cokie (what a sweet guy)! Willie! I could go on and on and on...
2 Oh my gosh, Josie's mother. I want to slap her.

Mini-Review: Ten by Gretchen McNeil

TEN
Gretchen McNeil
September 18, 2012
POV: 3rd, limited
Pages: 294
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Format: Hardcover
Source: Purchased

"SHHHH!
Don't spread the word!
Three-day weekend. House party.
White Rock House on Henry Island.
You do NOT want to miss it. 

It was supposed to be the weekend of their lives – three days on Henry Island at an exclusive house party. Best friends Meg and Minnie each have their own reasons for wanting to be there, which involve their school's most eligible bachelor, T.J. Fletcher, and look forward to three glorious days of boys, bonding, and fun-filled luxury.

But what they expect is definitely not what they get, and what starts out as fun turns dark and twisted after the discovery of a DVD with a sinister message: Vengeance is mine.

Suddenly, people are dying, and with a storm raging outside, the teens are cut off from the rest of the world. No electricity, no phones, no internet, and a ferry isn't scheduled to return for three days. As the deaths become more violent and the teens turn on each other, can Meg find the killer before more people die? Or is the killer closer to her than she could ever imagine?"

It's the party everyone would kill to be at...and one that may kill you if you attend. Thrilling, horrifying, and strangely entertaining, TEN is a highly suspenseful murder mystery that is nearly impossible to set aside for even a second. The third person narration follows Meg, a sarcastic teenage writer who was dragged along to an exclusive party by her codependent BFF, Minnie. While I never felt a deep connection with Meg, I was rooting for her to survive from the beginning and was eagerly trying to unravel the clues right alongside her. Simply put, TEN is the type of story that will keep you up late at night reading, anxiously turning the pages and warily eyeing every shadowy corner in your home¹. 

Highlights: I was both correct and incorrect about the killer's identity, so I found that to be a pleasant surprise. There is plenty of diversity among the characters, and I like that McNeil didn't follow the typical horror movie pattern entirely. All in all, TEN is one thrilling mystery. 

Lowlights: Neither the characters nor the romance are deep or complex, but that didn't bother me (I feel like this story is meant to be a quick, exciting read rather than deep or emotional). It takes a few chapters for things to get going. A few of the murders seemed a bit convenient (the killer had to get really lucky a few times in order for the right person to fall into the correct trap). 

1 Probably not a good idea to read this one at night, like I did. I don't scary easily, but even I had a hard time falling asleep after reading this one (especially since my house makes creepy creaking noises at night - which so didn't help the situation). *cuddles with flashlight*

What's your favorite horror story?